Pleasant Grove Baptist Church of Neese, Georgia

On Sunday, August 3, 2009, Madison County Sheriff Kip Thomas was presented a large number of teddy bears which had been donated by the members of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church of Neese. The presentation was made in a special “Bears Dedication” service. These bears will be used by officers of the Sheriff Department and emergency personnel to comfort children who are in a crisis situations.

Pictured,left to right–Sheriff Kip Thomas, Pleasant Grove Pastor Jonathan Tolbert, Pleasant Grove Baptist Women President Ramona Booth

Factor 3: Strategic Prayer Efforts
The Holy Spirit’s presence and power is released through intentional prayer. The book of Acts provides several examples of early believers coming together to pray for boldness. Thom Rainer explains, “Prayer is the power behind the principles. There simply is no more important principle in church growth than prayer. The prayers of the early church unleashed the power of God to add thousands to the church. It happened then. It is happening in some churches today. And it can happen in your church.”

After praying, those early believers were empowered by the Spirit, and people believed in the resurrected Jesus. The same pattern can be followed today. Praying for boldness and for a movement of God’s Spirit within the community and in the lives of those who are not believers is part of an effective outreach strategy. Comeback leaders pray strategically and fervently for themselves, their church families and their communities.

According to Roger Lipe, a pastor in Woodlawn, Illinois, the Word of God and renewed prayers were keys to their church’s renewal. The church gave new emphasis to prayer during the Wednesday evening services. Lipe read Scriptures dealing with prayer and led the church family to focus on praying for the needs of the church. This church was $109,000 in debt in July 2001, but was completely debt-free by November 2002. Giving continues to increase, and the once-dead church is alive and ministering effectively to the community around them. Comeback churches across the country reported an increase in evangelistic zeal in response to their strategic prayers for their communities. Many emphasized the importance of week­ly prayer meetings and a deeper passion for the local community. (by Ed Stetzer)

VBS Was Great!
Our VBS turned out to be a great time that God blessed in many different ways. One young girl decided to trust Jesus for salvation; several kids talked about wanting to be baptized; and workers had a great time serving alongside of one another. I can’t wait to baptize these new followers of Christ!

By Jonathan Tolbert

Factor Number 2: Renewed Attitude for Servanthood

Comeback churches care more about their communities than their personal preferences. Many churches will split over preferences—without either side caring about the lost.

Comeback churches have decided that the “sin of preferences” leads to the “sin of a dying church.” This is particularly true when a community’s culture changes quickly. Our mission is to make more and better followers of Jesus Christ simultaneously. A disciple who is growing spiritually will evidence a growing desire to reach out to those who don’t know Christ.

Comeback leaders model and promote acts of service. Southside Baptist Church in San Antonio, Texas, was down to nine members in 1998 when Al Byrom came to be the bivocational pastor. “The church had no mission, vision or excitement for ministry. I came in, under the Lord’s leading, and empowered the people to do ministry. My leaders now are proactive and excited about ministry because it’s more enjoyable.” In just six years the church
grew to more than 700 in worship.

A significant number of Comeback leaders identified a renewed attitude of servanthood as a major factor in their comeback congregations. They led their churches to overcome the hurdle of traditional preferences and to reach beyond themselves to the community around them. From feeding the hungry to rebuilding homes and neighborhood block parties, Comeback churches used acts of service to revitalize their churches and their communities.

By Jonathan Tolbert

Two weeks ago, the following excerpts were part of an article entitled “Comeback Churches” from a leader in our denomination.

FACTOR 1: Renewed belief in Jesus Christ and the mission of the Church

Comeback leaders helped people know and experience the reality of Jesus Christ in their lives. Comeback churches made the hard decision to love the lost as much as Jesus did. Comeback churches also focus outward. We know that Jesus came to seek and save people who are lost. The need to reach them in whatever condition we find them often requires us to make changes in the way we do things. We have to find ways to love people the way they are, and that’s often messy work.

To God be the glory, VBS was a tool for PGBC to do just that!

• Jesus was the central message of our Bible Study time. Four children expressed interest in becoming a Christian. One girl trusted in Christ and there are 3 who are wanting to be baptized!
• God lead us to be “On Mission” as we reached out to new families and were able to build relationships with them as well as strengthen already established ones.
• We made changes to accommodate our limited people resources and limited financial resources: we met outside for music and bible study; we reused previous curriculum; and we borrowed water slides at no cost from a sister church in our Sarepta Association.
• VBS was a tool for us to love children and families through: ministry of food, ministry of physical activity, ministry of the Gospel, ministry of Christian love expressed through hugs, smiles, encouragement; ministry of transportation as we picked up those needing a ride.
• We got messy as we… listened to hurts, prayed for children’s families, and showed equal love to people from all kinds of backgrounds, socio-economic situations, and cultures.
• Leader development. Several adult volunteers served as music leaders, craft servants, food servants, transportation servants, registrars, and recreation servants. We also were helped in a huge way by 3 of our youth, Caitlyn, Justin, and Cody. Thank you all!